Works and Days of Division – 29 poems by Martyn Crucefix
Drawing on two disparate sources, this sequence of mongrel-bred poems has been written to respond to the historical moment in this most disunited kingdom. Hesiod’s Works and Days – probably the oldest poem in the Western canon – is a poem driven by a dispute between brothers. The so-called vacana poems originate in the bhakti religious protest movements in 10-12th century India. Through plain language, repetition and refrain, they offer praise to the god, Siva, though they also express personal anger, puzzlement, even despair. Dear reader – if you like what you find here, please share the poems as widely as you can (no copyright restrictions). Or follow this blog for future postings. Bridges need building.
Tuesday 12.03.2019
‘still in hope in search of healing powers’
still in hope in search of healing powers
he comes to the hills
to a mountain landscape
to find from behind a black crag like a sigh
up the slit of the valley
rainfall in a white pulse from the south-east
there he stands and watches
from his little pool of sunshine
just a lucky slow-moving gap in the cloud cover
being dragged across the face of the mountain
there’s no mistake and it’s never been more clear
no more than a hundred metres away
all the bridges are down
Martyn Crucefix 